Top for motor vehicles



M. R. HULL TOP FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Feb. 12' 1924.

4 snets-sheet 1 Filed June 9, 1922 lrifffxlz., 1924.

' M. R. HULL TOP FOP- MOTOR VEHICLES Filed June 9. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet l2 M5/2620.12@ .Arran/OBK Feb. 12 1924.

` M. R; HULL Tol FoR MOTOR VEHICLES.

Filed `June 9. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 5.

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1,483,810 M. HULL.

TOP FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed June 9, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 a stares MATTHEW R. HULL, 0F CONNERSVLLE, TNDIANA, ASSIGNOR T0 REX MANUFACTUR- ING- COMPANY, 0F CONNERSVLLE, INBANA, A CORPORATION.

TOP FOR` MOTOR VEHICLES.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, MATTHEW R. HULL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Connersville, in the county of Fayette and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tops for Motor Vehicles, of which the following is a specilication.

This `invention relates to certain improvements in that class of automobile tops which is lmown in the art as the California type, this style of top being intended to replace the conventional cape or folding top ordinarily furnished with all makes of open touring cars for the reason that it practically alfords the advantages and protection to the occupants against rain,.wind and snow, and at a considerably less expense than the solid built sedan and limousine constructions. The California type top. includes a construction whereinthe sides may be removed asv far back as the rear edges of the rear doors for summer driving, but back of these points thetop encloses a considerable portion of the body around the rear seat, so that persons occupying the rear seat do not secureall possible ventilation, and moreover they are obliged `to bend forward considerably when they ydesire to converse with anyone standing outside when the car is at rest.

One of the objects of the present invention consists in the provision of means to greatly increase the ventilation efficiency of the interior of this type of top by securing a better and more thorough distribution of the air, so that the occupants in the rear seat will derive a greater degree of comfort, especially during the hot weather, than obtains in the vpresent type of this class of top construction. v

A further object of the invention consists, primarily, in constructing the top with openings which are uniformly divided into two equal areas so that the window framemay be removed from one opening and be placed back of the window in the other opening, 0r into a pocket if desired, without detracting the general appearance of the top.

Other noteworthy features and characteristics of the improvements hereinafter claimed will be made apparent to those skilled in this art by the following ydetail description of various exemplary embodiments of my invention as applied to various y.ing and observation purposes.

Application led. June 9, 1922. `Serial No. 566,971.

is-a view similar to Fig. 2 except that one of they window openings is permanently closed ,f t

to form a pocket for the removable window panel.- Fig. 7 is a vertical cross section, on the plane 7 7 in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail perspective view ofthe interior of the top shown in Fig. 6, in which the pocket is uncovered. Fig. 9 is a fragmentary detail elevation of the interior wall of the top, showing the pocket covered.

Referring to the drawings, 15 represents a conventional type of open touring body for motor vehicles; 16 and 17 the doors; 18 the deck, which is provided with a depending section 19 forming` a ypermanent closure between thelower edge `18a of deck 18 and the upper rim 15a of the body 15, and extending around the rear portion ofthe body between the rear edges of the doors 17 to include the rear wall 20. 21, 22 and 23 are the upper door extensions and intermediate panels all ofwhich may be removed for summer driving. The top includes awwooden skeleton framework 24 which is preferably covered on its outer surface with a thin metal sheathing 12 which adds rigidity to structure, and providesk a smooth surface for enameling or other linishing surface.-

It has heretofore been the practice in constructingk California type tops to provide each side wall of depending section 19 with a rectangular opening into which a permanently fixed window was placed for light- This type of construction so enclosed the back portion of the top that 'persons occupying the rear seat were more uncomfortably oppressed by i the heat,A especially in hot weather,- than the persons occupying the forward seat where better ventilation is secured by reason of the sides of the top being removed. Moreover, the side walls of the `depending section 19 extend forwardly a considerable' distance satisfy.

'from the rear seat so that the occupants, desiring to converse with a person on the outside of the car, were obliged to rise from their seat and move forward beyond the vertical edges ofv the section'19. This feature was objectionable and annoying, evoking criticism, and prevented sales to those persons having had such experiences.

The present top is adapted'to overcome the above mentioned objections and to meet demands that the previous top failed to To this end each side wall of depending section 19 is provided, preferably, with a rectangular opening which is divided by a fixed parting-rail 25 so as to Vform two openings 26 and 27 of equal area.V rThese openings are closed by glass window panels 28 and 29 which may both be maderremovable from their respective openings, or one may be permanently and the other removably moimted, vas indicated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive. In the present case I. have mounted window panel 29 adjacent to the rear seat in a permanent manner, and have made window panel 28 removable, said window being Y shown removed in Fig. 2. The framework 24 around openings 26 and 27 is gained or grooved to form seats 3() and 81 for the windowY panels 28 and 29, and as shown in Figs. 3 andY 5 opening 26 is surrounded with the grooved-seat 30 having av depth to correspond with Vthe thickness of the single vpanel 28,`the.groovedseat 31 around opening 27 being of suflicient depth to receive, in additionfto the permanently iiXed panel 29, the panel 28A which was removed from the opening 2 6, so that the seat 81 provides a.

repository into which the panel 28 may be placed, where it will be out of the way and where it may be further utilized for observation purposes without interfering with the passage of light. klWhen panel 28 is removed opening 26 aifords greater ventilation beeA sides permitting the occupants of the rear seat to'freely converse with a person standing outside Aof the car. This is a decided advantage over the prior constructions of this type of top. When panel` 28 is to be inserted into the seat 31 it is turned over so as to bring the corner 28a into registration with corner 27EL of opening 27. Y

The heretofore described structure illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive may be modi- `fied slightly to meet certain demands of the trade which may requireV only one perinanent opening in each side of dependingsection 19', as illustrated in Figs. 6 to 9 inelusive. ln. the latter case, the skeletonv Vframework of the top is constructed substantially the same asv the one previously described; that is to say, each side wall of depending section 19 is initially provided with one large opening which is divided into two smaller openings of equal areas, but instead of cutting tivo openings into the metal sheathing 12, only one is cut to register with opening 26, the metal being eX- tended over te close the outside of opening 2i', so that a pocket is formed in the wall of sectionv and into which pocket the removable window 'ianel 28 may be stored. rllhe inner opening leading into pocket is closedv with the passage of light and Vtopreserve' the desired. neat and external appearance of the top.r Y

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- Y Y ,e

l 1. An automobile top including a `deck having a depending section and the section having in eachside a major opening divided to form a pair of minor openings ofequal areas, so as to admit a window removed from one minor opening to be inserted back of the window in the remaining opening.V

2. An automobile top including a .deck having a depending'section provided in each side wall with a major openingpermanently divided into two minor openings of equal areas to admit a wineow removed from one minor opening to be inserted into the remaining opening, and the depending'section having ribs formed around the marginal edges of the openings to form stops to limit the introduction of the windows into the minor openings. y i

3. An automobile top including a deck having a depending section provided with a major opening in each side wall, each of said major openings being divided to form a pair of minor openings of equal areas to admit a window removed from one opening to be inserted into the remaining opening, the depending sectionr being further reinforced by an external sheathing which eX- tends over and covers one ofthe minor openings in each sidewall and the sheathing having openings to register with the remaining minor opening in each side vwall ofthe depending section, and the depending section having flaps for closing the inlets to the openings closed ontheir outer sides by, the external sheathing.

4.111 an automobile top, a deck, a liXed section depending from the deck and having a rectangular major opening in each side wall, means for dividing each major open ing into a pair of trapezoidal minor openings of equal areas, Windows removably mounted in the minor openings, and means in one minor opening for holding a Window taken from the adjacent opening, substantially as set forth.

5. In an automobile top, a deck, a section depending from the deck and having a major opening in each side Wall, means for dividing each major opening into two minor openings of equal areas, a sheathing covering the external surface of the depending section and havingfopenings to correspond to and register with one of the minor openings in each side Wall of the depending section, and flaps 15 mv hand and seal at Connersville, Indiana, 2o

this 22nd day of May, A. D., one thousand nine hundred and twenty-two.

MATTHEW R. HULL. [L 5.] 

